1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of face shield devices and more particularly to a novel face shield made in the shape of a hand. The hand is interchangeable and comes in various sizes to accommodate the user. The hand attaches to a headband-like frame that fits around a player""s head. The hand is designed to substantially block his or her view while shooting a basketball.
2. Brief Description of the Prior Art In the past, during basketball practice, coaches placed brooms, mops and other foreign objects in front of a basketball player""s face in an attempt to mimic the xe2x80x9chand in your facexe2x80x9d defense maneuver used by defense players. The reason for obstructing a player""s view during practice sessions was to develop and increase the player""s level of defense skills. Even though brooms, mops, and other objects were used to obstruct a player""s view, these inappropriate items did not warrant the safety of the player, nor did they necessarily increase a player""s skill level. Not only can these awkward objects hurt a player, they also do not imitate the real-life xe2x80x9chand in your facexe2x80x9d maneuver.
Therefore, there has been a substantial need by athletic players and coaches in defense-related sports to utilize a device that replicates the xe2x80x9chand in your facexe2x80x9d maneuver. The present invention provides a contoured headband frame where the interchangeable hand shield is affixed. The headband frame contours to the player""s head along with an adjustable elastic-like band. The hand shield attaches to the frame and is designed to fit in front of the player""s face to produce the real-life xe2x80x9chand in your facexe2x80x9d affect. The interchangeable hand shield in front of the frame can be removed so that other hand configurations and sizes can be attached to the frame in order to accommodate the user. The interchangeable feature of this novel face shield also allows the user to replace the interchangeable hand shield with an optional sun-shield attachment that protects them from harmful UV-Rays off the court. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, the above problems and difficulties are avoided by the present invention which provides a new method of athletic training through the use of a novel face shield. The athletic face shield consists of a head frame that contours to a player""s head along with an elastic headband. The interchangeable hand shield is affixed to the front of the head frame, and can be replaced with other objects. The athletic face shield is designed to fit in front of the player""s face to produce the xe2x80x9chand in your facexe2x80x9d affect utilized by defense players. Its unique design allows a solitary player to practice his or her defense game and experience the defense xe2x80x9chand in the facexe2x80x9d when shooting.
Therefore, it is among the primary objects of the present invention to provide a safe and convenient training tool for athletes, such as basketball players. The shield offers athletes a more natural means of view obstruction during practice. In addition, the hand size and configuration of the face shield can be changed to accommodate the user (child or adult). Also, UV sun shields can be attached to the head frame to protect users from harmful rays off the court
Another object of the present invention is to provide a versatile and novel training tool for the purpose of improving a player""s peripheral alertness as well as their shooting skills no matter what their present level of skill is.